


Flowers and Ink

by secretlydickgrayson



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Civilian, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Dick flirts with everyone, F/F, F/M, Florist/Tattoo Parlor AU, Jay's a florist, M/M, Tim is a tattoo artist, Trans Dick Grayson, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-04-11 11:19:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4433507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretlydickgrayson/pseuds/secretlydickgrayson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off of a combination of these two prompts: "I passed a flower shop next to a tattoo shop and at first I laughed because I thought it was ironic and then i freaked because IMAGINE YOUR OTP IN A FLORIST/TATTOO ARTIST AU then imagine whoever would obviously be which one and switch them" and "you know whats amazing? tattoo artist jason and hot librarian tim. you know whats even better? hot librarian jason who wears glasses and has a lot of tattoos and then goes to tattoo artist tim who barely has any tattoos but is really talented"</p><p>Jason's a florist, Tim's a tattoo artist. It got a little more in-depth than planned somehow</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey Steph!” Tim called as he pushed open the flower shop’s door. The bells on the door jangled wildly as he let it close behind him and walked towards the counter. He waited for the girl to come bouncing to the front as usual, but was greeted with mostly silence. Mostly silence, because there was some rustling coming from a vicinity to his left.

            “Steph?” he said as he moved around the counter towards the rustling. There was a pair of khakis bent over with a face in some sort of small white flower. “You are...not Steph.” Suddenly there was a face and wow, what a face. It was almost enough to distract Tim from the white stripe in the otherwise dark hair. The tattoos were what caught Tim’s attention at the end of it all. Elegant floral designs ran up his strong arms and covered his solid chest (or, Tim assumed they covered the chest; a tattoo with that kind of design at the collarbone had to extend further down). They were good quality. Not that he couldn’t do better, but he usually thought that. _Okay, Drake. Don’t think of tattooing not-Steph. This is one of your worse ideas._

            “Can I help you?” Not-Steph asked, looking a cross between concerned and customer-friendly.

            _Words. Use words._ “I was looking for Steph. Stephanie Brown? She works here. Usually. Right now. We were supposed to meet up after work and I figured I’d drop in early and surprise her.”

            The man -- Jason, and thank god for name tags because he didn’t want to keep calling the guy Not-Steph -- hefted the armful of vases _and Tim was not looking at the way his biceps bulged_ and adopted a confused tilt to his head.

            “Steph’s off today,” he said.

            “Well this was a failure.” Tim looked to his feet.

Jason lifted his free hand to the back of his head. “You could try texting her?”

Tim nodded. “Yeah, I will. It was just gonna be a surprise.” He was reaching into his pocket for his phone when he startled, seeing a young woman appear at Jason’s side. Jason turned to look and laughed a little.

            “That’s just Cass. She probably won’t hurt you.” Cass smiled almost imperceptibly at Jason’s side.

            “Probably?” Tim wasn’t sure if he should laugh, so it came out as more of a snicker.

            “Probably,” Jason repeated as Cass just shrugged. Tim reluctantly pulled his eyes away to focus on his phone. He already had a message from Steph asking where he was. He wasn’t even late!

            Tim pulled himself away from the conversation and towards the door, slowly, trying to absorb as much as he could before he left. Usually he was intercepted by Stephanie before he got in the door, though he was pretty sure it wasn’t intentional on her part. If it was they were going to have words.

            “Okay, so, I’m actually going to be late meeting her if I don’t get going so. I’ll see you around?” It was accidentally a question, but Jason nodded.

            “I mean, I didn’t even get your name so maybe we’ll actually do introductions next time!” Jason waved as Tim walked out the door.

Tim internally smacked his forehead, then did so externally once he was out of sight. _I didn’t even give the guy my name! Good job, Drake. This is why you’re single._

* * *

 

            This door didn’t jangle like his, Jason noticed. The tinted glass gave nothing away and when he walked in he wondered if that was the plan because the place was _chaotic_. Even without the bells, and despite the mess of what looked like unpacking, he was immediately noticed by the tall dark-haired man holding a box out to a redhaired woman in a wheelchair.

            “Hey there! Welcome to Tim’s Tat -- ow! -- Nightwing Ink!” The man said, leaving the box on the woman’s lap and practically bouncing (albeit gracefully) over to Jason.

            “You two are never allowed to name anything ever again,” the woman said.

            “Babs! Not in front of the customer! And no hitting!” He grinned at her, then turned to Jason. “Welcome to Nightwing Ink! My name’s Dick. How can I help you?”

            Jason grasped the small stem of the gladiolus he’d nabbed before walking next door and held it up to the (admittedly gorgeous) man to inspect.

“Would you be okay with finishing an existing project? The guy that started the line work changed prices on me partway through.”

“Oh yeah! Absolutely! Can I take a look?” Dick took the gladiolus and turned it over in his hands, scrutinizing it. “Hey Dami, would you take a few pictures?”

“Do you have call me that in front of people?” Another man--boy? he was hard to place--slunk out of the shadows.

“Yes I do.” Dick was obviously unfazed by the attitude.

“Fine, Grayson. I’ll take the pictures. Just try to remember my real name in the future.”

“Don’t mind him,” Dick said, turning back to Jay. “So where is this going to be?”

“It’s a chest piece,” Jason answered. “There’s a bit of line work, but the whole thing isn’t mapped out yet.”

“We can definitely do that.” Dick motioned to the back room, kicking a box out of the way. “Mind if I take a look at what we’re working with?”

“No problem,” Jason said, following him.

The room they entered was fairly standard as far as tattoo parlors go, and free of the mess that permeated the rest of the place. It smelled sterile, which was always a good sign, and there were various chairs and padded tables scattered at a good distance from each other.

“Let’s see what you’ve got,” Dick said, picking up a digital camera from one of the stations. Jason lifted his shirt to reveal a bouquet in progress, clusters of unshaded gladioluses sprawling over his chest, but ending abruptly a few inches below the collarbone. Dick hummed to himself as he took a few pictures from different angles.

Jason knew what the artist was doing, but he still felt uncomfortably scrutinized. He was glad when Dick stood up, turning off the camera, and he could put his shirt back down.

“That ought to be enough to get some designs sketched up! I mostly do stylized work, so I’m going to refer you to our artist-slash-owner Tim. He does more realistic work, and he’d be the best fit for you to continue the vibe you have.”

Jason nodded. “I saw some of his work on the website. Sounds good.”

Dick beamed and followed Jason back out into a relatively more well-groomed lobby area. It looked like ‘Babs’ had put the small photographer kid-guy-whatever to work clearing up the boxes and making the place presentable.

“We’re scheduling him with Tim, Dami-AN,” Dick said to the photographer. Damian let go of the decorations he was organizing and walked behind the counter to the calendar sheet on the wall.

“At this point, you’re our first customer so --”

“We’ll waive the deposit!” Dick grinned, but squeezed his hands together nervously. “We’ve tattooed other people! Just...not here.”

A quick glare was shot in Dick’s direction followed by a sigh. “--as I was saying. You get to decide your appointment date this time. And we’ll waive your deposit but you’ll have to pay in full at the time of your appointment.”

“He’ll need two sessions,” Dick said, bending to grab a handful of pens that he stuffed into a pencil cup on the counter. “One for the linework and one for the color. I assume you’ll want color?” Dick gave him another blinding grin as he eyed up Jason’s visible tattoos.

Jason pulled his gaze away from Dick’s ass to nod at Damian, suspecting that the other man had bent over in his direction on purpose. Damian rolled his eyes and turned to mark the calendar for whatever day Jason chose, purposefully ignoring that particular interaction.

“Next Tuesday? About 3 o’ clock?”

“Then he’ll need another one two--” Dick was cut off by Damian.

“Your next appointment should be about two weeks later,” he said, clicking the pen he was holding as he spoke.

“Same time okay?” Jason held out a hand to shake as everything was finalized. Damian nodded in his direction as Dick shook the outstretched hand enthusiastically. Jason was starting to suspect the enthusiasm was normal, though he appreciated that it wasn’t quite childlike. Jason left with a wave to Babs and a nod to Dick and Damian. Dick waved back. Of course.

 _Well, that was interesting,_ Jason thought. _I hope Tim is as good an artist as he looks online._

* * *

 

            Tim was _not_ fidgeting. He was also not fiddling with the pencil he used to complete the sketch of the gladiolus. He also did not look up the exact flower species and what it might mean in order to have a very large, very expensive picture tattooed onto one’s self. Tim Drake was _not_ anxious to meet his dear friend’s very attractive, very muscular employer (for the second time) in order to get his hands all over that attractive, muscular chest and -- it was a tattoo. Tim was not going to be indecent to a customer regardless of whether that customer caused distraction enough to pull his gaze towards the flower shop next door more times than Tim can even recall.

            He glanced at the clock again for the third time in -- twenty minutes. It wasn’t even two yet. Tim sighed before laying the pencil down next to his pages of sketches and then scooted it all over to plant an elbow on the counter and his chin in his hand. Damian, who up until then had been getting increasingly frustrated with Tim’s antics, rolled his eyes and threw a pencil of his own at Dick, lounging on the couch with Barbara across the room in the waiting area. The pencil hit him in the back of the head and he jerked up from his sprawl half on the couch and half in Babs’ lap to whip around and shoot a wounded look in Damian’s direction. Damian rolled his eyes again and gestured to Tim before returning to his own work reorganizing with an unamused air.

            “You’re going to do great, little brother,” Dick said, turning to Tim. “Your sketches looked really good.”

            “It’s not that!” Tim sighed as Dick laughed.

            “I thought he was your type.” Damian squawked and threw his hands over his ears.

            “I am not LISTENING to you talking about BOYS.”

            “Dami, you don’t wanna listen to us talking about anything,” Dick said, smiling.

            “Can we get back to the issue of how I’m going to have to plaster my hands all over my ex’s devastatingly hot boss’s rippling pectorals?” Tim waved his hands around wildly to punctuate. “I’ve already embarrassed myself once. I’m screwed.”

            “You wish,” Dick crowed. Babs burst into laughter from her listening spot on the couch.

            “I’m leaving.” Damian got up and started walking to the back when the door chimed.

            “Hey! You got bells!” Everyone turned to face the new arrival. Dick grinned, Babs snickered under her breath, Damian rolled his eyes again, and Tim turned an even deeper shade of crimson.  “Am I interrupting?”

            “Nope!” Tim straightened up and tried to at least look professional. “Nice to meet you...again. I’m Tim, and I’ll be tattooing you today.”

            “Wait, _you’re_ Tim? Stephanie’s date is my tattoo artist? The stranger that barrelled into my shop is the guy stabbing needles into me?”

            “See, you’ve got to be mistaken,” Dick cut in. "Tim doesn't 'barrel' anywhere. He's too poised."

"Not too poised to kill you and dump your body in the dumpster out back," Tim muttered. In a normal tone, he addressed Jason again. “Yes, that Tim. Though it was just coffee. And I’ve been getting paid to stab people for a few years now.”

“Yeah, Timmy here is a pro at stabbing.”

“All right, Dick, time to leave him to his appointment. You and I have a lunch date.”

Tim sent Barbara a thankful look and watched their progress as she ushered Dick out the door. When they were finally out of sight, Tim gathered up his sketches.

“Thanks for getting here a little early,” he said. “That gives us time to go over the art and for you to get your paperwork filled out with plenty of time left for the actual tattooing.” As he mentioned paperwork, Damian handed Jason a clipboard.

“And I’ll just need to make a copy of your driver’s license,” Damian added.

Tim stole a peek at the license as Jason got down to paperwork. A baby-faced, strawberry blonde version of the man in front of him stared back. Jason Peter Todd, 24 years old. _I’ve struck out with worse._

            Okay then. Steph’s cute boyfriend was going to spend the next three hours staring at him shirtless. Jason could deal with that. The lovely shade of red that had been Tim’s face had faded to a pale pink by the time Jason okayed the design (and what a design!) and walked him back to the chair. Tim’s mannerisms shifted as he led Jason into the back room and prepared him to be inked.

            _I wonder if Steph knows her boyfriend is gay._ At least they couldn’t have been dating for that long; she hadn’t mentioned anything about a boyfriend. Jason half-expected Tim’s hands to be trembling when he touched his chest, but they were steady as he lined up the needle.

            He’d forgotten how much chest tattoos hurt. He could usually tune out the machine’s buzz, but he was left trying not to draw blood as he chewed on his lip. He couldn’t really watch the proceedings on his chest, so he focused on Tim’s face as he drew excruciating even lines.

            He was cute when he was concentrating. His face wasn’t really scrunched up, but it was more stern and he had these lines in between his brows. _So how many ways will Steph execute me if I hit on him?_

            Jason was surprised when Tim was the first one to open his mouth. “So, Jason. How long have you owned the flower shop?” Jay was about to ask him how he knew Jason owned the place when Tim smirked. “‘Bluejay’s Blossoms’ was telling. I almost called this place ‘Tim’s Tattoos’.”

            Jason snorted. Tim was smart enough to anticipate it and avoided messing up his linework. “That explains a lot.” He waved off Tim’s look and kept going. “I’ve been there long enough to see several businesses move in and out of this place. Though I _am_ hoping you’ll stick around.” He grinned at Tim’s pink cheeks as he ducked his head. It was quiet for a little while, the buzzing the only noise until Jason asked a question of his own.

            “Dick said you all had worked somewhere else? Where? And why strike out on your own?”

            “It was Dick’s idea, really, and one of his best. The last place was --” Tim sighed. “Let’s just say it was important we got out of there.”

            “You don’t have to talk about it,” Jason said. “I mean, you just met me.” He grinned suddenly. “Maybe next session; we’ll obviously be best friends by then.”

            Tim smiled, the darkened atmosphere fading. “You’re definitely an improvement clientele-wise.”

            “You mean, next to your empty calendar? Aw, thanks.” Tim was laughing again and shaking his head as Jason laughed with him.

* * *

 

            Tim was proud of himself, both for the work he’d done on an existing piece and for not spontaneously combusting at any point during the appointment, but something about the linework was unsettling. He waved Jason out before turning to his laptop, fingers running over the keys as Dick and Barbara returned from their date.

            “Hey little brother, how’d it go?” The question only registered minutely in the face of his research.Tim knew he should try to respond, but instead he leaned closer to his computer screen, a horrible foreboding feeling settling in his stomach. _Just tell me it’s not his._

Dick was by his side in an instant, though this was only recognized distantly. He couldn’t know what he looked like to outsiders; he only knew what was in front of him. He felt a brush of air on his arm as Dick exhaled harshly. There was some movement from that side and a door further in opening and closing before there was a warm hand on Tim’s shoulder (which Dick definitely learned from Bruce).

“You saw it too? I was hoping I was wrong.” Dick lowered his head and sighed. Tim let out a dry laugh that was anything but. The hand tightened, offering comfort Tim wasn’t ready for in any other form.

“Look,” Tim said, nodding toward the computer. His cursor hovered over one particular picture: a cluster of blue flowers on a defined bicep. Dick recognized it immediately as one of Jay’s tattoos. Tim clicked on it and enlarged the picture. As he spoke he was gesturing with the mouse.

            Tim knew he didn’t have to say it, but it would feel better if he did. “It’s the Joker’s work.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was a little later than planned, but here's Chapter 2! Thank you for all the interest and comments and kudos!! --Robin

He doesn’t question why he’s back at Arkham Art. The colors are all wrong. It’s darker than he remembered. Sketchy as the area was, the parlor itself had always been spotless. Somehow it makes sense to give them a second chance.

“I’ve got an appointment with the Joker,” he says to the man behind the counter. He’s got a question mark tattooed on his neck.

The man laughs. “A man wants a tattoo. There’s two artists in town, and he meets them both. The first has a detailed, clean tattoo on the back of his neck. The second has a botched scribble in the same place. He goes to the second artist. Why?”

 Jason shrugs it off and walks to the back. He already knows where he’s going. The Joker only smiles and motions to him to sit down. He’s unsettling as he’s ever been, his face tattooed into a permanent smile. As he turns on the gun, Jason finally remembers to panic. He reaches for his phone, but his pockets are empty. He goes to the door, but it’s locked. The Joker laughs as he gouges the needle through his chest.

A woman dressed in red and black barrels in only minutes into his appointment. _She’s early._ She drags the Joker out of the room. _I could run,_ he thinks, but he never does. Instead he goes after them when he hears shouting.

This time, Tim’s there.

“I could finish that for you,” he said, holding out his hand. Offering a way out. Jason doesn’t understand why he shoulders past him to the back room. He doesn’t even wait to hear Joker threatening the woman before Jason tries to punch through his face.

“Nobody fights my battles but me,” the woman shouts. He’s been here a thousand times and he still never sees her fist coming.

Then he’s in the alley behind the parlor, just him and the Joker and a crowbar. He tries to struggle, to fight back, but he’s tied at his hands and ankles. So he lies there and just screams.

 

He was still screaming even as he jolted awake. He punched out at whatever was closest to him.

“Get the hell off me!” His voice was beginning to peter out. “Get AWAY!”

“Easy, Bluejay.”

He knew that voice. “Cass?”

She pulled open the curtains slowly, letting in a sliver of light and revealing herself.

“Lamp’s broken.”

“Damnit. Again?”

Cass nodded. Jason started to sit up, shielding his eyes from the sunlight with one hand and holding the other one out to inspect himself.

“I’m wet.”

She nodded again, holding up an empty water bottle that he recognizes as from his fridge.

He sighed, bringing his hand to the back of his head. “How’d you get in here?”

She rolled her eyes and held up a bobby pin, and Jason wonders why he even asked.

“I really ought to just give you a key.”

“You should.”

Jason sighed again, scrubbing at his face with both hands. He took a second to breathe deeply, in and then out, and then he rolled off the bed in the direction of the bathroom. Cass was gone by the time he reached the door and he shook his head at her even as he silently thanked her for everything she does for him. He took a couple extra minutes under the hot spray, knowing that Cass had probably already opened up shop. She was definitely capable enough, and he tried to relax a little, still feeling taut as a tightrope.

He made it downstairs to find Cass and Steph helping a small elderly woman pick out flowers for “my daughter’s new baby, dears. I want something very pretty to put in the room, you understand.” And when he said “Cass and Steph” he meant that Stephanie was bouncing around grabbing Japanese maple leaves, caladium, and bouvardia, and then handing them off to Cass to arrange.

The bells jangled and he glanced to the door only to double-take -- yes, that was Dick from next door. And he looked concerned (which did not belong on his face ever, Jason could tell), and Jay was worried that maybe Nightwing Ink had been going through their pre-opening ritual and might’ve heard something. He wasn’t sure, actually, of their hours of operation. As soon as Dick saw him standing at the front, though, he immediately brightened.

“Morning!” Dick waved at him as he approached the counter, grinning brightly. “How’re you?”

Jay smiled back (it was nearly impossible not to) and braced himself for the concerned questions about his health and whatnot. He wasn’t fooling anybody and knew he looked horrible.

“Morning. What’re you doing here?” Jason followed Dick back to the flowers, leaving the girls to check out the little elderly woman.

“The shop looks empty. I wanted to fill the space with-- OOF!”

“DICK! It’s so good to see you!” Steph shouted, hanging from his neck. Jay was impressed; not many people could stay on their feet when attacked by Stephanie. Dick, however, seemed to be a pro.

“I was going to introduce you later, Flower, but I guess you already know each other,” Jay said to Steph. He glanced behind them to see Cass handling their customer and relaxed.

Dick grinned at Steph and whispered something in her ear.

Steph squealed. “You’d BETTER let me help!”

“Would I ever do it without you?”

“Not if you valued your continued well-being.” They laughed. Dick shifted her into his arms and whispered in her ear again. Jason strained to hear what they were saying but couldn’t quite make it out.

So Dick was flirting with Steph, Steph was flirting with Dick, Dick was flirting with him, Tim was flirting with him, Steph may or may not be flirting with Cass, and Steph was dating Tim. He was going to have to draw a flowchart to keep everything straight (or not so straight, as was the case with certain pairings), and he had no idea who was cheating on whom. Or if there was even cheating involved. It was all very confusing. And they were still _whispering_.

Jay waved at them, running his other hand through his hair. “Sorry to interrupt your moment there, but…” Steph giggled and dropped gracefully from Dick’s hold to hop over and kiss him on the cheek. They were both still grinning.

“Sorry, Jaybird, didn’t mean to make you _jealous_.” She cackled as she pranced back to Cass’ side. Jason managed to avoid spluttering. Cass raised one eyebrow at her.

“And one for you too,” Steph said, planting a kiss on Cass’s cheek. Cass smiled at her and returned the favor. Okay, they were _definitely_ flirting. Was there anyone in Jay’s life who wasn’t flirting with everyone else?

Dick turned back to face him. “Anyway, I was thinking that some fresh flowers might brighten up the shop.”

“What kind of arrangement were you thinking of?” Jason said. “Did you have a color or a mood you’d like us to build off? Or a particular flower you like?”

Dick shrugged. “I honestly don’t know that much about flowers. Just something to cheer things up a little bit. Make it feel less empty.”

“Fair enough. We can do that! When do you want it?”

“Steph seems to think you can whip something up this afternoon, so would about four be a good time?” If Jason were any less curious about what Dick and Steph were up to, he’d have missed the smirk in Dick’s voice and the small smile Steph shot him.

“Absolutely. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Sounds great! What do I owe you?” Dick fumbled in his pocket for his wallet.

“It’s on the house. Consider it a shopwarming gift.” Steph would skin him alive if he actually charged her friend and boyfriend for a bouquet they could whip up in no time at all. Or, worse, she’d have Cass do it. Besides, Jason thought it might be worth it just to see what was going on.

* * *

 

Tim was behind the counter when Jason walked in. He saved himself from the undignified squawk but at the expense of the pencil cup (now clattering to the floor). He pushed them back into their container and replaced it on the surface in the seconds it took for the vase of flowers to reach him. Flowers. Why were there flowers?

“Hey!” Jason said. “Is Dick around? He asked me to deliver these.”

_Get yourself together._ “It’s not his shift right now. He’s picking Damian up from school.”

“That’s weird. He asked me to deliver them at four.”  

Tim facepalmed. _Dick Grayson, I’m not sure if I want to kiss you or kill you. Possibly both._

 “What’s up?” Jason cocked his head to one side like a very buff puppy.

“Nothing! Everything’s fine.” Tim paused to collect his thoughts. “Can I take that from you?”

“Sure,” Jason said. “I don’t know where you want it. I’ll be right back; I’ve got a couple smaller ones in the shop.”

Tim took the arrangement and set it on the counter. “Can I help?”

Jason paused for a second in the doorway before waving his arm. “Sure, follow me.”

When they got into Bluejay’s Blossoms, Jason stopped.

“Flower? Any reason in particular you’re hiding behind the counter?”

Tim leaned to look, confused. They were surrounded by flowers; why was Jason addressing one in particular? Did he always talk to the plants? Tim had a horrible flashback to the time his ex-coworker Pamela made him watch Little Shop of Horrors (he was pretty sure it was a subtle threat) until he noticed Steph. Okay, so a little less “Feed me, Seymour” and a little more best friend.

“Steph!” She waved at him before shooting a glance at her boss and shuffling around back to the front of the shop.

Jason shook his head and grinned at Tim (who was _not_ blushing, thank you very much). “She may be my good luck flower, but that girl is strange.” At Tim’s curious look he explained further. “Stephanotis flowers mean good luck.”

Tim smiled. “It somehow fits her.” Jason chuckled, and led him through to a back room full of pictures and diagrams and various other things Tim assumed were necessary for running a florist. On a table stood several proud vases, a couple of which were filled with flowers. There were two very bright arrangements that were smaller versions of the one already back at the parlor. Tim recognized the yellow roses and the ivy, but the rest of it was lost on him.

“So what do these mean?” he asked.

Tim watched Jason light up. “Dick wasn’t very specific about what he wanted, so I went for a sort of ‘congratulations’ message. You just opened so I thought it would be appropriate.” Tim nodded, listening intently as Jason continued. “The yellow roses are for achievement and the fennel I threw in for praise. The ivy is for ambition. The larger one has oak leaves to add a bit of strength, to keep the good things going, and yellow calla lilies add a bit of elegance.” Tim was smiling, both at Jason’s genius and enthusiasm. Tim respected Jason’s knowledge. He also very much appreciated the way Jason talked about his art. Because it _was_ art, the same way his tattoos were art. And Jason was good at it. And also looked amazing. Though that bit might’ve just been Tim’s internal monologue.

“That’s amazing,” Tim said. “It’s like a language.”

“Basically.” Jason looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off by shouting from the front room. They hurried out to check, and were greeted by a middle-aged woman screaming at Steph.

The woman turned to them. “And who are these boys? I said I wanted to speak to the owner!”

Jason exhaled slowly. When he turned to Tim, his normal grin was replaced by a plastic smile. “I’ve got to handle this. Sorry. I’ll deliver the last one later,” he said under his breath.

Tim shook his head. “I get it. It’s fine, I’ll just have Steph grab that one. You don’t mind if I borrow her, do you? I think she might bite someone’s head off.”

“Steph? Try Cass.” Jason motioned to the corner of the room, where Cass was standing, glowering at the woman berating anyone who would listen. “But sure, you can steal her for a bit. Meanwhile, I have to--” He nodded towards the screaming woman.

Tim waved him off, understanding. “Steph! Come help me with this.” As they left, he heard the woman accusing Jason of selling her flowers already half-dead because they only lasted a week.

“Ma’am, I can’t change the lifespan of flowers.”

“Aren’t they breeding those frankenflowers to last forever now? Those GMOs?”

The bells chimed as they left. Tim felt bad for Jason, but he really couldn’t leave the shop alone for any longer. He didn’t need Damian to lecture him again about _responsibility_ and _don’t you care about this shop, Drake? We could have been robbed._

Once they got back to Nightwing Ink, he put his flowers on one of the sidetables and turned on Steph.

“What the hell was that?”

“Where do you want these?”

“Table over there. By the other set of chairs.” Tim’s tone made it almost another accusation.

“It’s nice in here! How long have you been here? A couple weeks? We didn’t get everything set up for nearly a month when we moved in.” Steph smiled, but Tim knew she was playing dumb.

“Why were you hiding behind the counter?” He kept steady eye contact and crossed his arms.

“I fell.” She was definitely smirking.

“You fell? And then chose to crouch there peering over it?” He keep his voice low as he raised his eyebrow.

“It was cozy back there!” Steph was grinning now.

“You were spying on me and Jason.”

“I was observing. There’s a difference.”

“What were you observing?”

“Well hopefully the two of you making out, but flirting was fine too.”

Tim made an indignant noise. “I am not _flirting_ with your boss.”

“Then what do you call it?” They traded postures; now Steph was the one with the raised eyebrow and crossed arms, though she was decidedly more pleased with herself.

“Being friendly!”

“Does ‘friendly’ usually entail this much eyesex? Because I might need to rethink introducing you to Cass.”

“I was not--Really Steph? Did I do this to you when you met Cass?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Maybe I was flirting. That doesn’t mean I want to… It doesn’t mean I was… I’m not falling for Jason Todd!” He hadn’t meant to shout. Steph had him more flustered than he’d expected.

“Hey, I didn’t say that. That was all you.” Steph relaxed, her smile a bit more gentle now.

“I’m not interested.”

“Yes you are.”

“I’m not going to date him.”

“Come on, Boyfriend. You need a boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the support! We've been a bit busy, but we'll keep getting them out as often as we can. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Love you all! -- Wing


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back!!!! Gods I'm sorry about the wait; Rob has had school, and I've had... Well, my computer crashed, I attempted nanowrimo, I had a complete mental health meltdown, and I've been sick TWICE. Coordinating our schedules was basically impossible But we are back now! 
> 
> This is a bit of a short chapter because we wanted to get it out quickly, but a lot happens! I hope y'all like it! Let us know what you think! - Love, Wing

“So I heard you’re not falling for Jason Todd?” Dick was grinning as he came through the front door, the jangling of the bells grating on Tim’s sour mood.

“Nope!” Stephanie replied. Damian followed close behind Dick, but didn’t stop when he got to Tim; he charged right through them all on his way to a back room muttering something about “going to find something to do that is not here.”

Tim threw up his hands, huffing in exasperation as he followed Damian towards the staircase to his upstairs apartment. “I’m going to bed!”

“It’s, like, 4:30!” Dick shouted after him, laughter in his voice. He didn’t follow, though, and Tim could hear him and Stephanie tittering as he left.

Tim reached his bed and sank onto it, sitting with his feet on the floor and elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath and ran his hands over his face and through his hair before groaning in frustration and flopping onto his back. This was just _peachy._

He couldn’t be falling for Jason. That was the worst idea ever. He hadn’t dated since...well, since Steph. And of course the first person he’d fall for would have mysterious ties with the past he and Dick were finally moving on from. Because it wouldn’t be complicated enough just dating his ex’s boss.

            Tim wrapped his blankets around him and sighed. It was time to start snooping. Dick would probably claim he’d been snooping already, but you could never be too safe when it came to anything related to Arkham. He pulled out his phone, propping himself up on his elbows as he laid on his stomach in a lump of blankets. He typed “Jason Todd” into the search bar.

The first hit was for a law firm in Idaho. Definitely not his Jay. _Wait. HIS Jay? He was so screwed._ There it was: “Tattoo parlor owner arrested in connection with attack on client.”

He clicked, reading silently.  

“Gotham police have arrested Jack Napier, owner of Arkham Art, on suspicion of assault. Napier, known to clients as only “The Joker,” is a suspect in the vicious assault of a parlor client.

Police were called to Arkham Art on April 27th after the violent beating of Jason Todd, 23. Todd is currently in intensive care at Gotham City Hospital. He has remained in a coma since the incident.

Security cameras in the alley where Todd was found appear to have been tampered with, and there is no footage of the incident.

Napier is no stranger to police; he has been implicated in multiple domestic violence incidents, but in all cases the victim has declined to press charges.

Harleen Quinzel, Napier’s girlfriend and business partner, has come forward with allegations that Napier was abusive and violent towards both her and employees. She stated, ‘Mistah J always likes me to put on a smile for work. Always. I let that slip, and he was yelling at me for it. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken a swing at me. Kid stepped in, tried to start a fight, and Mistah J just snapped. Dragged him out to the alley and beat the stuffing outta him.’

Napier’s bail has been set at $750,000.”  

Tim breathed deep and closed the lid of the laptop. He needed to talk to Dick. They needed to figure some things out. He wouldn’t blame Jason if he never talked to Tim again after finding out that they’d worked at the shop where he’d nearly died.

There was a knock, and Tim looked up to see Dick standing in the doorway. As soon as they made eye contact, Dick was at his side.

“You okay? You left and...you never came back,” Dick said.

“We need to talk about Jason,” Tim said. Dick grinned, but sobered immediately once he saw the fear in Tim’s eyes. Dick sat down on the bed, and Tim sat up and leaned against his shoulder. “It’s bad, Dickie. Real bad.”

Dick was silent, waiting for Tim to initiate the conversation.

Tim took a deep breath. “Y’know that kid who got beaten half to death? Right before they closed Arkham?”

“Fuck. You mean…Jason was… Shit.”

“Yeah.”

“He’s going to find out, you know. That we worked there. When everything goes to court.”

“I know.” Tim visibly sagged. Dick wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“You can tell him everything, if you want. I’m not exactly closeted. You could explain.”

“He’s not going to listen. I mean, would you?”

“Talk to your girlfriend,” Dick said. “Steph knows him. And you.”

 

Jay watched the woman storm out of the shop. _Glad that’s over._ She was “never coming back, and was “going to call the Better Business Bureau about the shoddy service,” but those were empty threats and at least she was gone.

The woman barrelled past Steph as she came in, throwing some barb at her that Jason couldn’t entirely hear. Steph looked entirely too cheerful for someone who had just been insulted by Miss Can-I-Speak-to-the-Manager.  

“I don’t know how you’re still smiling,” Jason grumbled as he walked up next to her. Cass appeared at Steph’s elbow, and Steph turned to kiss her on the cheek.

“Hey Steph?” Jason said. Steph looked back at Jason.

“Did you want a kiss too?” she said, still grinning.

“I need to talk to you. Alone.” Jason twisted his hands as he spoke.

Steph sobered. “Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

“It’s not about me,” Jason said. “And it’s not anything you did wrong. But something’s going on that I think you need to know about.”

“Cass knows everything about me already,” Steph said. Cass moved in a little closer, wrapping an arm around her.

“Fine. I guess moral support isn’t exactly a bad idea.” Jason motioned towards the door to the back of the shop. “Let’s at least not do this where anyone could walk in.”

The trio walked into the back room, Cass’s arm not moving from around Steph’s waist. As the door swung closed, Steph turned to face Jason.

“What’s going on?”

Jason took a deep breath. He had no idea how to put it gracefully, so he figured he might as well come out and say it.

“I think your boyfriend is hitting on me.”

Cass burst into laughter. Her teeth flashed white against her black lipstick as she threw her head back and belly-laughed. She startled Jason into a defensive posture that melted into awe.

“You’re laughing. Why are you laughing?”

Next to her, Steph broke into giggles. She started a sentence, but was overcome by laughter. Jason couldn’t help a smile either, though he wasn’t sure why they were amused.

“She’s mine,” Cass said. Steph beamed, sliding closer to her girlfriend.

“So you’re...not dating Tim?” Jason asked.

“Nope.” Steph popped the P. “We haven’t been together since he was in school. We’re good together. Just not as boyfriend and girlfriend. Besides, Cassie’s got the personfriend department locked down.”

“So he’s...hitting on me?”

“Yes, Jason. He’s definitely hitting on you.”

Jason grinned. “I am SO gonna tap that.”

“You better wine and dine him before you plunder his virtue, Bossman.”

Jason waved at her on his way out the door.

“Yeah, yeah. I am the king of romance, Flower dearest. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go seduce your ex-boyfriend.”

“I don’t think you’ll need to do much of that!” Steph shouted after him. She high-fived Cass as Jason made his exit.


End file.
